Nobody panic, but a strong contender for Album of the [7TH] Year is here! TXT have returned with their 8th mini album, 7TH YEAR: A Moment of Stillness in the Thorns, and the timing of this release is almost as perfect as the songs are.
TXT’s 7TH YEAR… Literally
At a time when it feels like idols are leaving groups every 20 minutes, TXT stands out from the rest. During a concert last August, leader Soobin announced that all five members of TXT had renewed their contract with BIGHIT MUSIC. This was an exciting (understatement) time for MOAs for a lot of reasons. First, obviously, it means we get more tubatu. Second, it means that TXT beat the “seven year curse” in K-Pop. And third, for the first time in TXT’s career, we had absolutely no idea where their musical journey would go next.
TXT’s intricate lore was wrapped up in their final release under their initial contract, The Star Chapter: TOGETHER, so we were, in a way, back to ground zero. The members have said that they’re using this renewal as motivation to reignite their rookie mindsets, and that kinda applies to their storyline too. Whilst we’ll miss their lore (a lot), we also hope that TXT have a new sense of freedom now that their music isn’t bound to an over-arching story, and that each comeback is a new dawn for them.
With all that in mind, we were highly anticipating this new era, although we were never nervous; TXT putting out stellar music is pretty much guaranteed at this point. From the concept photos to the tracklist previews, it became clear that story-telling would still be a key part of TXT’s group identity, just not in the form of telling their continued story. Across 7TH YEAR: A Moment of Stillness in the Thorns, TXT reflect on their journey so far, share their fears with MOA, and look forward to their future as a five-member group. Let’s dig into it!
‘Stick With You’
The title track of 7TH YEAR: A Moment of Stillness in the Thorns is ‘Stick With You.’ It’s an electro-pop track that exemplifies one of TXT’s greatest skills: blending upbeat production with melancholy lyricism. A tale of wanting to desperately hold on to a relationship that you can feel is ending, it’s been a long time since we’ve seen a music video capture the feelings of a song so well.
The MV features the five members on parallel journeys trying to catch up to their ‘love.’ If you’ve ever seen the German cult classic movie, Run Lola Run, this music video is like the K-Pop-ified version of that! Soobin, the lead in this one, eventually realizes he is manifesting all his anxieties around this relationship by fixating on them so much. Ever worried about something so much that it became a self-fulfiling prophecy? Well, we, and TXT, can relate. The Korean title of ‘Stick With You’ literally translates to “One More Day Per Day,” which, yet again, just encapsulates the story so beautifully.
The B-Sides
Oh, a TXT album that not only has an incredible title track, but stacked b-sides, too? Duh! TXT gave us six tracks across 7TH YEAR: A Moment of Stillness in the Thorns, and every single one of them is a gem.
‘Bed of Thorns’
Move over “40 winks,” there’s a new English idiom in town! In the opening track of 7TH YEAR: A Moment of Stillness in the Thorns, TXT play with, as you may have guessed, the expression, “you’ve made your bed, now lie in it.” Flipping the expression around, ‘Bed of Thorns’ sees TXT’s empowered decision to face the consequences of their actions head on. The vocal delivery of this electronic, synth-pop track is reminiscent of 80s power ballads, which means we absolutely cannot wait to hear a live performance of it.
‘Take Me to Nirvana (feat. Vinida Weng)’
MOAs have a lot to thank TXT for, and one of those things is most certainly their commitment to infusing House and Afrobeat influences into their sound. From ‘Tinnitus’ to ‘I’ll See You There Tomorrow,’ it’s always a hit when TXT play around with these genres. ‘Take Me to Nirvana’ is definitely not an exception to that rule!
In a perfect piece of tracklisting, ‘Take Me to Nirvana’ captures the freedom that comes after letting go of anxiety and uncertainty. The addition of Vinida Weng’s feature adds a psychedelic, ethereal element to the song, and we couldn’t love it more if we tried. Unexpectedly melodic, her harmonies with the members, but in particular Beomgyu, are heaven sent.
‘So What’
Can you believe we got rapper Beomgyu and rapper Kai in the year 2026?! Following on from the previous track, ‘So What’ is all about shrugging off concerns, whether they’re your own or others’. The lyrics are direct and funny, with plenty of iykyk moments for MOAs. With references to Yeonjun’s acceptance speech from his first ever solo award and wordplay using our fandom name, this is sure to become a fan favorite. We hope TXT are prepared to perform this for many years to come!
’21st Century Romance’
On LookSam’s stream a while ago, Yeonjun mentioned this track as one of his faves. The moment ’21st Century Romance’ clicked in for him, he was in the car as the sun set, and felt like he was in a movie. Who hasn’t had one of those moments?! Doubling down on his affection for the song, on release day he even asked MOAs to listen to it on their way home from work so they could experience its magic, too. Having tried and tested Yeonjun’s recommendation, we can confirm that ’21st Century Romance’ does hit different that way!
’21st Century Romance’ focuses on blocking out the “noise” of the modern world and following your heart. Given the online nature of the relationship, it could also be taken as a reference to TXT and MOA’s dynamic and a promise to focus on that, rather than the words of outsiders.
Can we be super honest here? This grandeur of this song screams Taylor Swift to us, in the very best way possible. We’re talking ‘My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys,’ ‘Call It What You Want,’ ‘This Love,’ ‘happiness,’ ‘The Archer,’ ‘peace,’ kind of Taylor. It is divine!
‘Dream of Mine’
TXT always know how to close an album’s narrative really well, and they do that again here with ‘Dream of Mine.’ After clinging to their worries, finally letting go of them, and promising to focus on the important things, TXT now look forward to their future! The alternative pop production in ‘Dream of Mine’ blends the electro/techno-inspired sound of this era with TXT’s quintessential rock influences, and makes sure that 7TH YEAR firmly has TXT’s stamp all over it. Also, we’re never gonna complain when TXT sing about dreams. After all, their first three albums were The Dream Chapter and Yeonjun’s solo ‘GGUM‘ was a play on words about dreams. So you know it’s always gonna hit!
The 7TH YEAR Era
Of course, with a new TXT album, comes a new TXT era! As expected, the 7TH YEAR: A Moment of Stillness in the Thorns era is already delivering some content gems! Make sure you’ve checked out Yeonbin on Salon Drip, OT5 on ZIP Daesung, the ‘Stick With You’ GQ Performance, Beomkai on PIXID’s The Quest, and everything else they have coming up!
Have you been keeping up with all the new content this era? Which is your favorite new TXT track on 7TH YEAR: A Moment of Stillness in the Thorns? Let us know over on Twitter @TheHoneyPOP! Or if that’s not your vibe, we’re also on Facebook and Instagram!
Want more TXT? Right this way!
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT TXT:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | TWITTER | WEBSITE
